1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to record media and tape playing systems and more particularly to such systems for providing continuous sources of music with each musical selection appearing from time to time in an apparently random or programmable fashion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has become commonplace in our present society to provide pleasant background music in retail stores, offices and work areas such as industrial facilities. It has been found that the provision of such pleasant music has a psychological effect on those present which leads to greater inclination for purchases, higher productivity and more relaxed or informal atmosphere. Several sources of background music are commonly available at the present time. Each of these sources has advantages and disadvantages.
Perhaps the least expensive music source is a conventional FM radio receiver tuned in to a commercial FM broadcast station. This provides background music, but it is interrupted with commercials, promotional announcements, news, weather, sports, and the like. These interruptions require the concentration of the casual listener and thus detract from the atmosphere of the music providing a pleasant background.
Another source of background music is a conventional automatic change record player and a stack of record albums. Such systems have commonly been employed in small offices, but require an employee to change the record stack at periodic intervals. This music source generally can become a nuisance to operate. Similarly, another source of background music, such as a conventional eight track tape playing apparatus can be used in a similar fashion and will play continuously on a particular eight track cartridge. However, such systems require frequent changing of the tape cartridges in order to avoid repetition of the same musical selections. Also, such eight track cartridges generally employ the same artist throughout a given album tape for recording of the music. The recordings are played sequentially as they appear on the tape in a predictable fashion. This leads to frequent repetition of the same numbers which rapidly becomes discernable to even the casual listener.
A popular alternative to these methods of providing background music has been the use of the Subsidiary Communications Authorization channel of a commercial FM station. This subsidiary communications channel is transmitted by the FM station along with their regular programming, but on a subcarrier frequency which is offset from the main program channel. The music carried on the sub-channel is separate and different from the regular programming and usually contains no commercials. The reception of such subcarrier communications requires a special detecting system which is supplied by the commercial FM station under a franchise arrangement. This feature has been highly successful. Different environments, however, often require different types of background music. Background music suitable for use in a restaurant, for example, may not be of the type desired by a factory employing production line workers. A multiplicity of franchising arrangements has been necessary to secure the type of service desired by a variety of clientele because an FM stereo station is limited to a single SCA channel.
Cable television systems, which are available in many communities, also usually provide one or more sources of background music. In fact, ten or more different types of music have been supplied on some cable systems which are selectable merely by the attachment of a conventional FM receiver to the cable television outlet of a consumer.
In spite of the commerical success of FM subcarrier channels and cable television distributing systems, many users still prefer to provide their own music source and usually resort to hard wired distribution systems employing a central tape playing facility and speakers located at the points of usage. Such systems require maintenance, attendance and, generally, can become burdensome to the operator while not providing a broad base of programming material in a highly non-repetitive order.
The tape playing system of the present invention is suitable for individual users or distribution centers such as cable television systems or FM subcarrier auxiliary channel stations themselves. The system of the present invention provides a relatively inexpensive and vastly versatile reproduction or playing system which can provide a seemingly infinite variety of musical selections in an apparently random fashion without repetition for great lengths of time. The system can be based on the economical 1/4-inch eight track tape configuration and can be utilized with open reel, cassette, endless loop, or cartridge type tape transports. Highly non-repetitive and apparently random selection of different songs may thus be provided by a single transport at a reasonable expense and without the necessity of periodic changes of program material by an operator. Similarly, if desired, a system according to the present invention can provide predetermined patterns of selections which may be selected under program control.